Do you remember the time when "forwards" were the thing in the e-mail world? You know, the "100 facts about yourself. Read it, fill it out, and pass it on." Or the "Hilarious pictures of people doing dumb things. Pass it on." Or if you're a Christian, the "A touching story of how someone came to love Jesus. Pass it on and if you're a good Christian, pass it on to your non-Christian friends." (That last one always made me feel guilty if I didn't pass it on.... but being older and wiser now, that guilt has long faded away.)
Anyway, I have a family friend who still sends these to me and it's kinda funny because no one does anymore. Or maybe it's not so much that no one in the world does but in my social spheres they don't. Except her. Not that that's a bad thing or anything.
The most recent one I received from her was actually pretty good. It's a short 3 min film called, "Porcelain Unicorn." At first I was skeptical. Who names a film, "Porcelain Unicorn"? ... Right.... Despite the cheesiness of the title, it is well made and surprisingly I enjoyed it.
So here's me "forwarding" this on to you. ...I guess my longstanding non-forwarding track record ends here, haha.
July 18, 2011
July 7, 2011
Purposeful Living
Over the past little while of reflecting and analyzing, I've discovered that I am a person of many many good intentions but with little follow through.
Evidence #1
In high school when having a locker mirror was "in", I decorated mine with nail polish which soon became a hit with my girlfriends. At the time I was working at the local pharmacy and often got first dibs on new products before it hit the shelves so when a bunch of new nail polish colors came in one day, I took advantage of my staff discount and bought a whole bunch. How many more locker mirrors did I actually paint after that? ... Maybe one or two. I also rarely paint my nails...
Evidence #2
I am a lover of books. When I was younger during the summers I would borrow 5 books a week from the library and read read read. However as I grew older, I inherited a vast number of other interests as well as responsibilities such as schoolwork (and of course, I also learned procrastination and laziness in university) so reading got put on the back burner. But my love for books and reading never dissipated. Working with Campus for Christ, I had so many "this book is great" suggestions that I would buy a ton at conferences and Christian bookstores. However, I've yet to read 70% of the books I've bought - so many lay unopened and unread on my bookshelf...
Evidence #3
My friend, Jeff, got diagnosed with Celiac's disease last year in March so I bought a whole bunch of gluten-free flours to experiment and bake yummy goodies so that he could still enjoy things such as cookies, cakes, and bread that otherwise he wouldn't be able to eat. I also discovered that quite a few people in my church also have Celiac's so I was dreaming of baking stuff for them as well so they could enjoy something with their coffee after the service. The first few months I did bake quite a bit. But over the past year I haven't done anything and my gluten-free flours lay abandoned on my kitchen shelves...
I have a feeling there are many others who have the same struggles as I do - bringing life to the good ideas that are brimming over in my head. Lately I've been trying to be a bit more proactive in following through with my ideas because I don't want to be the kind of person who only speaks of doing things but has nothing to show for it. I don't want to waste my life dreaming but not actually living out those dreams. I want to make the most of my life experiencing everything God has to offer here, enjoying Him and tasting His goodness in preparation for the mindblowing awesomeness that is to come in the afterlife. I want to be a real and tangible blessing to those around me rather than just a "sending you good thoughts" kind of person. I want to live for more than myself because that's what makes life worthwhile.
With all that said, I have a couple married friends who I am totally encouraged by and admire because they live their lives with selfless purpose and action. Matt and Mischa developed a heart for West Africa during their university days and had a dream to help bring social development and reduce poverty to that area of the world. Rather than simply talking about it, they paved their way towards their dream and now they are currently living in Cameroon doing an 8 month internship with The Humanity Exchange. I've been keeping up with their blog and am always excited reading about how they are bringing good change into the world as well as their fun(ny) experiences living in a location and culture that is a complete 180 from ours.
I think sometimes as Christians we aren't always willing to sacrifice our comfort for the sake of others. Rather than loving people as Jesus loved us (and he left heaven, the ultimate place of goodness and comfort, to be with us!), we choose to live for ourselves. Life is so narrow, lonely and strangling when we do that! Matt and Misch definitely gave up a lot of their comfort to live in Cameroon - warm showers, food that is palatable to their taste buds, the warmth of close friends and family - and they don't hide the fact that it's tough sometimes. But, they are planting a huge field that will reap with goodness that they will get to fully enjoy one day.
This is not to say that I should move to Africa as I don't believe (at least in this point in my life anyway) that my calling is to be there... but I do hope that whatever my calling is, wherever my God-given passions lie, I will be able to follow through and not just live with good intentions.
Evidence #1
In high school when having a locker mirror was "in", I decorated mine with nail polish which soon became a hit with my girlfriends. At the time I was working at the local pharmacy and often got first dibs on new products before it hit the shelves so when a bunch of new nail polish colors came in one day, I took advantage of my staff discount and bought a whole bunch. How many more locker mirrors did I actually paint after that? ... Maybe one or two. I also rarely paint my nails...
Evidence #2
I am a lover of books. When I was younger during the summers I would borrow 5 books a week from the library and read read read. However as I grew older, I inherited a vast number of other interests as well as responsibilities such as schoolwork (and of course, I also learned procrastination and laziness in university) so reading got put on the back burner. But my love for books and reading never dissipated. Working with Campus for Christ, I had so many "this book is great" suggestions that I would buy a ton at conferences and Christian bookstores. However, I've yet to read 70% of the books I've bought - so many lay unopened and unread on my bookshelf...
Evidence #3
My friend, Jeff, got diagnosed with Celiac's disease last year in March so I bought a whole bunch of gluten-free flours to experiment and bake yummy goodies so that he could still enjoy things such as cookies, cakes, and bread that otherwise he wouldn't be able to eat. I also discovered that quite a few people in my church also have Celiac's so I was dreaming of baking stuff for them as well so they could enjoy something with their coffee after the service. The first few months I did bake quite a bit. But over the past year I haven't done anything and my gluten-free flours lay abandoned on my kitchen shelves...
I have a feeling there are many others who have the same struggles as I do - bringing life to the good ideas that are brimming over in my head. Lately I've been trying to be a bit more proactive in following through with my ideas because I don't want to be the kind of person who only speaks of doing things but has nothing to show for it. I don't want to waste my life dreaming but not actually living out those dreams. I want to make the most of my life experiencing everything God has to offer here, enjoying Him and tasting His goodness in preparation for the mindblowing awesomeness that is to come in the afterlife. I want to be a real and tangible blessing to those around me rather than just a "sending you good thoughts" kind of person. I want to live for more than myself because that's what makes life worthwhile.
With all that said, I have a couple married friends who I am totally encouraged by and admire because they live their lives with selfless purpose and action. Matt and Mischa developed a heart for West Africa during their university days and had a dream to help bring social development and reduce poverty to that area of the world. Rather than simply talking about it, they paved their way towards their dream and now they are currently living in Cameroon doing an 8 month internship with The Humanity Exchange. I've been keeping up with their blog and am always excited reading about how they are bringing good change into the world as well as their fun(ny) experiences living in a location and culture that is a complete 180 from ours.
I think sometimes as Christians we aren't always willing to sacrifice our comfort for the sake of others. Rather than loving people as Jesus loved us (and he left heaven, the ultimate place of goodness and comfort, to be with us!), we choose to live for ourselves. Life is so narrow, lonely and strangling when we do that! Matt and Misch definitely gave up a lot of their comfort to live in Cameroon - warm showers, food that is palatable to their taste buds, the warmth of close friends and family - and they don't hide the fact that it's tough sometimes. But, they are planting a huge field that will reap with goodness that they will get to fully enjoy one day.
This is not to say that I should move to Africa as I don't believe (at least in this point in my life anyway) that my calling is to be there... but I do hope that whatever my calling is, wherever my God-given passions lie, I will be able to follow through and not just live with good intentions.
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